In the latest Tesla safety report, it is observed that the brand’s models have an accident for every 12.3 million km traveled with Autopilot. This is much better than the average car in the United States which has an accident every 1.08 million km. But can we really make a comparison?
Do Tesla models have fewer accidents?
According to Tesla, its cars are among the safest in the world. From the Model 3 to the Model X to the Cybertruck, Autopilot is said to prevent many accidents. However, the brand has been subject to harsh criticism on this issue. Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) system has been involved in numerous accidents. The manufacturer has just released a new safety report to regain users’ trust.
Tesla measures the safety of its vehicles based on the number of kilometers traveled per accident. This is an unusual technique that has been criticized before, but let’s move on. The latest company figures, taken during the first quarter of 2024, show that the brand’s models have fewer accidents than the average car in the United States. Tesla recorded an accident for every 12.3 million km traveled with Autopilot.
Without Autopilot technology, the rate drops to one accident for every 1.5 million km traveled. Meanwhile, the overall average for accidents, across all brands, is closer to 1.08 million km. The company specifies that it used the latest data from the NHTSA and the Federal Highway Administration to calculate this figure. Tesla only considers accidents in which airbags are activated.
A Controversial Comparison
The study also does not specify that Autopilot is mainly used on highways, where it is best suited. Whereas the figure given for the average car in the United States was calculated using all accident data, including those that occur in cities or on country roads. Although Autopilot certainly provides additional safety to drivers, the comparison is tricky.
Regarding fires, Tesla states that “between 2012 and 2022, there was one fire on a Tesla vehicle for every 209 million km traveled. For comparison, data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) indicates that a fire occurs every 18 million km traveled in the United States, regardless of the brand or engine type.
In reality, this report should be taken with caution. Tesla uses metrics that no other automaker uses. Thus, it is difficult to compare the brand to its competitors. However, it would be interesting to see how Tesla compares to them, not just to an average of all vehicles in the United States. BMW, Mercedes, or Volvo would certainly give Tesla a run for its money.